Foster Carers

Ms SAVVAS (Newland) (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Child Protection. How is the government working to attract more foster carers?

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:43): Thank you so much to the member for her question and her enduring commitment to the wellbeing of children and young people. We are relentlessly working to help improve the lives of children and young people and their families, including carer families. Foster and kinship carers are such a crucial part of our child protection and family support system. Every single day, they open their hearts, homes and lives to children and young people who most need love, support and nurture. They do so at the most rewarding moments and they stay the course through the moments that are really, really hard.

Since coming to government, we have grown the number of foster and kinship carers, but as carers retire or their circumstances change, we need more of these remarkable people to care for children and we need to ensure people know the different ways that they can get involved.

We recently launched a social media-based campaign, Foster the Feeling, to encourage those who have previously considered caring to take the next step and become an approved carer. The campaign concept is built on a feeling people of various ages and backgrounds may experience at some point in their lives that they want to help and also that feeling of pure joy and happiness that a carer and child would relate to as part of their journey together.

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with wonderful carers Margie and Gary, who retired from their caring roles after providing short-term and respite care for more than 30 years. They spoke about how they felt about being carers, about how fulfilling it was, how much it meant to them, and the positive relationships they still have with the young people they cared for.

The campaign, which features across social media channels and is soon to appear at very prominent venues around South Australia, is showing outstanding results in its first four weeks, with around 100 prospective carers registering to receive information about how to take the next step. I am really grateful to every person who has demonstrated their interest.

The campaign also focuses on dispelling myths about caring, and advises on the range of ways that community members can become carers, with caring ranging from just a few hours, to a weekend, school holidays or longer-term care. I am really pleased to inform the house that in the last financial year the government approved 125 new foster carers, and with these new approvals we have seen a net increase in carers.

Just last week, I participated in a round table hosted by Life without Barriers and Child and Family Focus SA, where we focused on new models of foster care. The discussion included industry leaders, peak bodies, academics, carers and young people, and will inform next steps and provide clear guidance for further attraction and retention efforts.

There is more to do to recruit and to retain foster carers, and improve their experience. That is why our recently released draft legislation includes many provisions that respond to the ways in which carers, having listened to them around the state, have articulated they would like to be better supported. Our draft legislation contains clear actions that respond to what carers have told us would make a difference to them.

It is also why we provided an unprecedented $50 and 4.8 per cent increase to carer payments in the 2023-24 budget, and also introduced a new additional respite payment. Thank you again to all our current carers for their remarkable care, love and commitment. We will keep working to help care for you.

For anybody who has ever thought about caring, there is a place for you to help change a child's life, and in doing so you may also change your own.